UNSC Army (StoneGhost)
Human-Covenant War Remnant War }} The UNSC Army was a branch of the United Nations Space Command responsible for protecting, defending and supporting UEG colony worlds on the ground and in the air. The UNSC Army maintained a garrison on every Human-populated world, ranging from a small force for a sparsely populated colony to a significant garrison on a high-value world such as . While the UNSC Navy was responsible for defence of UNSC colony worlds in orbit, the UNSC Army was charged with terrestrial (ground-based) defence, encompassing ground forces and an atmosphere-based Army Air Corps. The primary doctrinal function of the UNSC Army was to repel and defeat space-borne invasion fleets during and after their landing phase, assuming that such a force had bypassed any UNSC Navy presence. In reality much of the Army's history saw it function as an anti-insurgency force on worlds struggling with unrest or insurrection, leading to highly skilled special forces, light infantry and artillery forces, but somewhat neglected anti-air and armour and armoured infantry forces. This unbalance was addressed out of necessity during the Human-Covenant War. The UNSC Army can trace its history back to 2162, where the newly formed UN Army defeated and forces in South America, although its official formation came with the establishment of the UNSC in 2163. The Army went through several roles and functions throughout its long history, initially serving, under the guise of the UN Army, as the UN's premier fighting force during the . As the war spread through the solar system and the UNSC Navy and Marine Corps established themselves in the niche of expeditionary warfare, the Army re-roled as a garrison force able to keep the peace on restless colonies and fend off concentrated attacks from irregular forces. This was a role it continued in throughout the , where it faced persistent low-level insurgency on many of the worlds it found itself stationed on. This resulted in the Army being consistently highly experienced and well-equipped to deal with asymmetric warfare. During the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC Army found itself facing a vastly different threat in the form of the . Due to the vast disparity in fighting strength, the UNSC's tactics inevitably shifted towards defensive warfare, placing an insurmountable burden on the Army's shoulders. Covenant ground invasion forces, through technological superiority and their numerical advantage, routinely annihilated UNSC Army forces charged with defence, despite superb strategy and often reckless disregard for their own fate. This was when the Covenant did not simply bombard the planet from orbit, in which case entire divisions could be wiped out without even facing their enemy. Post-war, the UNSC Army, despite taking horrendous losses throughout the war, was renowned throughout both Human and Covenant space for its tenacity and strength of resolve in the face of impossible odds. Post-war, the UNSC Army was incrementally built back up to pre-war levels of manpower and equipment, though priority for rearmament in the arduous post-war period was the UNSC Navy. The Army continued its pre-war role of colony defence and garrison throughout the Remnant War, being involved in several defence actions through the war and once again distinguishing itself in action. During the period of relative peace following the Remnant War, the Army reached full strength again, with an active strength of just over 1.4 billion personnel. History Role Early in the Human-Covenant War, with the UNSC Army taking unsustainable casualties against the Covenant, its role was redefined in six doctrinal terms. This essentially formed the UNSC Army's strategy in the event of a Covenant invasion. *'Contain'- The UNSC Army will stop, hold or surround the enemy, or cause him to centre his activity on a front. The Army will prevent his withdrawing any part of his forces for use elsewhere. *'Delay'- When under pressure, the UNSC Army will trade space for time by slowing down the enemy's momentum and inflicting maximum damage without, if possible, being decisively engaged. *'Deny'- The UNSC Army will prevent access or use by blocking, disruption, dislocation and/or fire. It will achieve this either by holding or covering the area by direct or indirect fire. *'Disrupt'- The UNSC Army will break the cohesion of the enemy and prevent it from functioning. *'Destroy'- Kill or damage an enemy or his capability that is is rendered useless. *'Disengage'- The UNSC Army will break engagement in preparation for eventual withdrawal. See Also *Equipment of the UNSC Army Category:UNSC